Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Perilous, action-heavy animated odyssey has stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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Hero Quest
What's the Story?
As the legend goes in HERO QUEST, it wasn't long ago that young Savva's (voiced by Maksim Chukharyov in the original version and Milla Jovovich in the English dub) village and the forest that surrounds it were protected from harm by steadfast white wolves. Sadly, one day the beautiful animals disappeared, leaving the village vulnerable to an army of evil monkeys led by a three-headed queen (Lolita Milyavskaya/Whoopi Goldberg) and her evil hyena followers. As the story opens, the villagers' worst fears come true: The hyenas attack and imprison the people, planning to force them into servitude for the monkeys. Only Savva escapes. The boy's best chance to save his family is to make his way to the top of a distant mountain to find the fabled magician, whom he believes can bring the wolves back to free his people from their captors. Savva's journey is a perilous one, filled with treacherous confrontations and evil villains, but in the company of a lone white wolf (Konstantin Khabenskiy/Will Chase) and a crew of bizarre, often comical characters he meets along the way, the brave young boy may turn out to be the hero his forest friends have long been waiting for.
Is It Any Good?
Eccentric and funny characters, outlandish adversaries, and a boy's righteous quest are nearly undone by too many obstacles and too many characters. The cast of players in Hero Quest would be enough to populate two, maybe even three perilous journeys. There are evil hyenas, a witch, monkeys, a dragon, an army of masked warriors, jungle dwellers—and those are just the villains. Plus there are enough transformations, crises of identity, and flashbacks to muddy a story that might have been better served by some simplicity. The animation is OK—it's bright and spirited, supported by a solid musical score. That's not a surprise, since the entire project is the brainchild of Max Fadeev, one of Russia's most formidable composer-musicians. But with its perilous scenes (and cultural and gender stereotypes), Hero Quest is best suited for kids who can separate reality from fantasy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the surprises in Hero Quest. List some of them (e.g., the wolf's true identity, the magician). Why is it fun to be surprised as a story unfolds? Why is it sometimes unsatisfying when a movie is predictable?
Some key elements in a "quest" movie are a hero embarking upon a journey to accomplish something important, significant obstacles that stand in the hero's way, and characters the hero encounters often joining forces with the hero. Create (draw or write about) a hero, and give that hero a quest. What are some obstacles the hero will encounter? Whom does the hero meet along the way?
This movie is packed with heroes and villains. Was the sheer number of them confusing to you? When it comes to new characters and new situations, how much is too much?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 29, 2016
- Cast : Maksim Chukharyov , Milla Jovovich , Lolita Milyavskaya , Whoopi Goldberg
- Director : Maksim Fadeev
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Cinedigm
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Wild Animals ) , Fantasy ( Dragons , Magic , Monsters ) , Friendship
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 2, 2026
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